Let Nature Nurture Video

Thursday 3rd May 2018

The Somerset AONBs Nature and Wellbeing Project has released a video that shows the positive impact it’s having on people’s lives and the landscape. This launch is timed to coincide with May being Naturally Healthy Month across Somerset and Devon.

Alongside the Quantock Hills and Blackdown Hills AONBs we have been running a project that targets communities who are currently not accessing the Hills, but for whom access to the natural environment may be of great help.

The reasons for the current lack of engagement for these groups may be socio-economic, ethnicity, age, disability or mental health.

The video interviews many people from across Somerset who have been involved. On the Mendip Hills AONB the project has helped a teenage mental health charity visit farms, a residential care home had their garden improved for wildlife and a group of adults with learning needs visits every Thursday to rebuild drystone walls and improve access along paths.

Danielle Wrench, project officer (maternity leave), said, ‘We use the tag #LetNatureNurture and this project has shown the benefits of having an outreach officer to make that possible. The AONB teams do great work with volunteers but needed the extra resources from Public Health England to contact these groups and help them out on to the hills. These beautiful landscapes can be difficult to get into for some groups so having someone who can take them to the best bits and then show them what to do is crucial.’